When based on the prior art, computers, cell phones, and a wide spectrum of devices that use computer or processor technology are vulnerable to computer hackers, viruses, cyber-terrorists, spy-ware, and/or other malicious or harmful computer program code. While anti-virus software is known, such anti-virus software frequently becomes obsolete with each new virus that is written and released. Furthermore, at least some damage will usually be done to some computers during the initial stages of such release. Use of firewalls and other protective measures are also known, however, firewalls are generally not integrated into portable computers or portable computers operating over a public network outside of a corporate Information Technology (IT) environment, and a number of hacking techniques exist to defeat such firewalls in any event. The world-wide cost of damage from computer viruses, spy-ware, and hacking each year has been estimated to run into the tens of billions of dollars. More significantly with the ever increasing reliance on computers to control and maintain operation of air-traffic, transportation systems, building environmental control, stock markets, telephone systems, nuclear-power plants, and other public and private infrastructure, the potential harm from such malicious code goes beyond any monetary assessment.
What is needed is an architecture, system, and operational methodology that provide a measure of immunity from computer hacking, viruses, spy-ware, cyber-terror attacks, and the like, malicious activity. In a sense there remains a need for a universal vaccine against such malicious agents.
There also remains a need for a computer that, unlike conventional computers that enable the user to initiate “repairs” on demand by reverting to known clean installation of operating system and application program software and/or data, resets or erases memory and data stores to create a known clean or sterile storage environment prior to opening files or data sets.